Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Arrow #28 (Web Comic) - A Review

I don't recall precisely where but I do remember reading somebody complain about the character of John Diggle and how patently unrealistic it would be for a career soldier to aid and abet a vigilante like Oliver Queen. While I think this is one of the most minor of nits to pick over when discussing the realism of Arrow, I can see the point. Soldiers are meant to preserve law and order and are trained to live and breathe structure and discipline. Taken in that context, it does seem rather unlikely that John Diggle's reaction to finding out his boss was an outlaw would be anything other than contacting the police.

I don't know if Arrow #28 was written in direct response to this question but it does provide an effective answer regardless. Indeed, this may be the best single issue of the web-comic so far. The main meat of the issue focuses upon John Diggle, in flashback, as he launched his own investigation into his brother's murder. Suffice it to say, the story makes it clear that even before he met Oliver Queen, John Diggle was not a man to blindly follow orders.

The script by Katherine Walczak offers new insight into John Diggle's character. We get to see how Diggle's brief venture into vigilantism made him sympathetic to Ollie's cause. More, we see how Diggle comes very close to crossing several lines and see why he's chosen to help Ollie as well as why he's been so tough on Ollie - to keep him from making the mistakes Diggle almost made himself.

The artwork by Xermanico is perfectly suited toward the story. The action of the issue is well-depicted and flows naturally from panel to panel. The inks are appropriately light or heavy as needed. And actor David Ramsey's likeness is perfectly captured within the pencils.

If you're an Arrow fan in need of a fix this week, you'd do well to pick up this issue. The story is a good one with artwork to match. There's a good balance of action and drama as well as some wonderful character scenes. All in all, I'd say this issue is a must-read for all fans of the series and a steal at 99 cents to download.